'Fourth Trimester' program takes aim at health disparities affecting Black mothers

As Black women continue to face pronounced health disparities, AdventHealth for Women is proud to launch the "Fourth Trimester" program, a dedicated initiative designed to provide enhanced postpartum support for Black mothers with high blood pressure and reduce maternal morbidity rates.

“We cannot look away from the health disparities that currently exist in our country,” said Dr. Rizwana Fareeduddin, chief medical officer of AdventHealth for Women. “Black women are three to four times more likely to die during pregnancy or the year after. And of those deaths, 80% are preventable.”

Inspired to change those statistics, AdventHealth for Women established the Fourth Trimester program to provide additional care during the 12 weeks after delivery and empower Black women to prioritize their postpartum health.

The program was created after hospital data revealed that Black and African American mothers were being readmitted following C-section delivery at significantly higher rates than white mothers. Consistent with national trends, postpartum high blood pressure emerged as the leading cause for the readmissions.

At the heart of the initiative is a team of dedicated care coordinators who personally connect with every mother enrolled in the program. Based at AdventHealth for Women in Orlando and Celebration, the team makes sure that moms have all their follow-up appointments scheduled and medications filled before leaving the hospital and educates patients about managing high blood pressure. Mothers are also given blood pressure cuffs to monitor their vitals at home, empowering them to take charge of their health.

The coordinators don’t stop there. The team continually checks in with moms, offering not only medical support but also helping with insurance, paperwork, milk and baby supplies, transportation, and even housing and financial assistance.

“I’m here to be that big support and be that person to go out and advocate for them,” said care coordinator Erike King. “Now, these moms have a voice. We’re going to save a lot of moms.”

One of the program’s success stories is Eliza Gordon, 32, who recently had her third child. She’d never heard of a “fourth trimester” but was the perfect candidate for the program, having dealt with complications from preeclampsia and high blood pressure during her pregnancies. The day she got home from the hospital, she started having chest pains and noticed her feet swelling – telltale signs of a blood pressure spike that told her she needed to go back to the hospital.

“It’s like having a big sister in the hospital with you,” Gordon said. “She made me focus on me and my health and she took so much off my plate.”

The Fourth Trimester program has never been more important, especially as Florida remains one of the worst states for maternal mortality, and the United States continues to have the highest rates of maternal deaths among developed nations.

For Gordon, the program made all the difference in her postpartum recovery.

“Having a program like this makes sure women are getting the care they deserve – equal care – and that their voice is being heard and not only heard but advocated for,” she said. “I feel really empowered to be part of a program that’s taken the steps needed to make change in the health care system.”